Chapter 186: William said, "Follow me."
Just then, a server came over with some hangover soup.
Philip took the initiative to introduce himself and took over the task of feeding Lyra the hangover soup, and Sophia didn't refuse.
She wanted to see what Philip's attitude toward Lyra was really like.
Lyra looked at the person in front of her in a daze, "Philip?"
Philip responded, "It's me."
The moment his words fell, Lyra slapped him across the face.
She snorted coldly, "You're not Philip. He would never be this gentle with me. How dare you impersonate him, you've made a terrible mistake. Philip is not very forgiving."
Sophia's understanding of Philip mostly came from Lyra's descriptions of him.
Seeing his face darken after Lyra slapped him, Sophia reminded him, "She's drunk."
Philip sighed helplessly, "I know."
Philip didn't argue with a drunk person. After feeding Lyra most of the hangover soup, he held her in his arms.
Philip said to Sophia, "I'll take her home first."
Sophia asked Lyra what she wanted, "Do you want to go home with Philip?"
Lyra looked at her with in confusion. Although she was dazed, she didn't resist Philip's embrace.
The hangover soup at 'Hidden Feast' restaurant was a special blend Sophia had developed. Its effectiveness in sobering people up was greater than that of other products on the market, and it worked faster, too.
Seeing that Lyra didn't resist Philip, Sophia immediately understood what she wanted.
Even so, she still reminded Philip, "She's drunk."
It was understandable what could easily happen when someone was drunk.
Although Lyra and Philip were already legally married, it was a business marriage after all. Plus, Lyra had been drinking. If Philip really wanted to do something to her, she probably wouldn't be able to react.
But truthfully, she had feelings for Philip.
Sophia's words reminded Philip that even though they were married, certain things still needed to wait until both parties were ready.
Of course, if Lyra actually wanted it, she hadn't made it clear.
For smart people, some things didn't need to be spelled out too clearly.
Philip looked down at Lyra in his arms and nodded.
He put Lyra's coat on her, hung her delicate little bag on her arm, then picked her up in his arms. He said goodbye to William and strode away carrying Lyra.
Watching Lyra nestled obediently in Philip's arms, her body slightly stiff, Sophia sighed inwardly.
Lyra, who had years of experience at social events, would be slightly aware even when drunk.
Not to mention she had drunk quite a decent amount of sobering soup.
Philip probably wasn't unaware of this either, but he was willing to pretend he didn't notice. Just this alone showed he probably wasn't the man Lyra described who had no feelings for her at all.
In the quiet private room, William's voice was low, "I'll take you back."
"No need, I have a driver." Sophia refused without hesitation.
She had drunk a little with Lyra, but not much. Apart from a faint smell of alcohol, her mind was completely clear.
Sophia walked to where her coat and bag were hanging, got dressed and headed outside. Behind her came William's steady, measured footsteps.
Every private room here was in a very quiet location.
Sophia's exclusive private room even more so.
She walked through the intricately carved classical-style garden. By the courtyard rockery landscape stood a person; it was Benjamin whom she had just seen a few days ago.
An unexpected encounter, all three fell silent.
Benjamin's whole presence felt like the gently flowing water beneath the rockery; warm, comfortable, and non-threatening.
Today, he was wearing a gray casual outfit, his shoulder-length hair casually tied back, his whole body radiating an elegant and refined air.
The moment William saw him, his aura changed dramatically.
Ignoring the cold air emanating from him, Benjamin walked straight to Sophia, his deep blue pupils full of her reflection.
"Sophia, I have something very important to tell you."
His voice merged with the sound of water flowing by the rockery. The familiar men's cologne hit her nose, faint and gentle like the man himself.
The courtyard landscape had been personally overseen by Sophia, with every lighting design adding a finishing touch.
At this moment, William, with half his face hidden in the dim light, his long lashes fluttering twice, also looked at her upon hearing these words.
Sophia could see Benjamin had obviously been waiting here for her, and knew that if she didn't listen today, he would appear before her again.
She glanced at the time and nodded, "Okay."
The warmth in William's eyes plummeted, his thin lips pressed tightly together, his pupils beneath his bangs clearly showing Sophia's reflection, a fire burning in his heart.
And she could see the change in his emotions, too.
He was angry.
But right now, it had nothing to do with her.
Sophia followed Benjamin to his private room and saw the food inside that had barely been touched.
As the owner, Sophia took the initiative to ask, "Not satisfied with the food?"
Benjamin paused, then said slowly, "I'm satisfied. I just haven't had much appetite lately, eating less."
Now that he mentioned it, Sophia also noticed he had lost even more weight compared to when he was in Forton County. His already defined facial features were even more prominent.
The private room Benjamin had booked also had coffee-making equipment, but this time it was he making the coffee. His technique was very good, he must have studied it specifically.
"I know about what happened in the past."
His voice was full of guilt, "Although it's been a long time, I still want to say sorry to you."
After returning to Port City, Benjamin immediately went to find Evelyn and Isolde, only to run into the exposure of Douglas's affair.
Benjamin learned that his father, who had been a shining and great figure in his mind, was having an affair with a young woman who looked extremely similar to his mother. Benjamin's fantasy of a beautiful family was shattered.
And Evelyn had fainted from the shock of this news, crying every day, demanding that Douglas get rid of that young woman.
Isolde hadn't expected Douglas to cheat either, and the key point was that he was keeping a replica of Evelyn.
This made Douglas, who in the past had been willing to break away from his family to be with Benjamin's mother, Evelyn, look so ridiculous.
Sophia quietly listened to what had been happening recently in the Franklin family without making any comments.
Until Benjamin said with a bitter smile, "Actually, the Franklin family isn't as glamorous as it seems, is it?"
Only then did she look up at him, but didn't answer his question.
Benjamin could clearly feel there was now an invisible, transparent wall between them.
He wanted to go over, but she didn't want him to come closer.
He had finally dealt with Douglas's matter when his aunt Selene and uncle Ronnie ran into trouble.
Ronnie wanted to divorce Selene and marry another woman. Isolde absolutely wouldn't allow this to happen.
Isolde couldn't bear to see Selene wronged, so she sent Benjamin over to back Selene up.
If he hadn't returned to the country, he wouldn't have known so many things would happen.
His parents' love story from the past was like a fairy tale book coated in honey, but now everything was different.
As a man himself, Benjamin couldn't understand why Douglas and Ronnie would cheat. It created an intense feeling of disgust in him. Was being faithful really such a difficult thing?
He thought of Sophia, thought of the days in the past when they studied together, solved problems together, and chatted. Those memories gradually became an obsession.
There were some things he couldn't say to his family, couldn't tell his friends, but in front of Sophia, he could speak naturally.
"I apologize for everything the Franklin family has done to you in the past. I will do everything I can to make it up to you. This promise is valid for life. If you're willing, I can..."
Before he could finish his words, the door was forcefully pushed open from outside by William. He entered with a cold expression and grabbed Sophia's hand.
William said assertively, "Come with me."